BIO-STATISTICS

BY
DR ABDUL RAUF
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
 STATISTICS
 The word statistics is defined in three
different ways. Firstly,
 “Statistics is numerical fact systematically

collected with some definite object”.

 For example: figures 60,62,64,65,68 are not

statistics, but heights of the students in the

class will form this data a STATISTICS, e.g.
a) Statistics of death & birth,
b) Statistics of educational institutions in
Sargodha etc...
 STATISTICS
Secondly:
 “Statistics is defined as the science of

systematic collection, classification,

tabulation, presentation, analysis and
interpretation of numerical data”.
Thirdly:
 “ Any numerical quantity (Such as Mean,

Median, Mode & Standard deviation)

computed or collected from a SAMPLE is
known as Statistic” (singular).
 BIOSTATISTICS
Study of statistics in relation to
biological science (such as biological,
social and environmental factors) is
known as “BIO-STATISTICS’’.
Study of statistics in relation to health
and diseases of human population and
different factors related to them, is
known as “Health statistics’’.
 BIO-STATISTICS
Study of statistics in relation to the vital events
of life such as birth , marriages, deaths,
divorces, etc is known as “vital statistics’’ ,
which in turn is a branch of “Demography”
which deals with study of human populations.
APLICATION OF BIO-STATISTICS

1. Helps in effective comparisons

between two groups or two countries.
2.Helps in measurement of health
status of a community in terms of
rates, ratios, proportions etc. which
in turn helps in comparison with
other countries and helps to study
the influencing factors.
APLICATION OF BIO-STATISTICS
For examples, the prevalence of typhoid fever
is higher among people of poor socio-
economic status, living in unhygienic areas
with unsafe water supply, not protected
through immunizations and so on. Thus by a
systematic analysis of the factors related to
the disease, a health worker or a health
administrator can define the problems in
terms of contrast.
APLICATION OF BIO-STATISTICS
3.Helps in estimating the magnitude of a
health problem.
4.Helps in analyzing the causes of the public
health problems, including epidemics, to the
public health personnel.
5.Helps in monitoring & evaluation of the
control measures and also in introducing
midcourse correction measures, where ever
necessary.
APLICATION OF BIO-STATISTICS
6.Helps in health planning and management
7.Helps in research purposes
Thus biostatistics, if properly recorded
constitutes “Eyes and Ears’’ of a health
worker otherwise it would be like “sailing in a
ship without compass’’.
 VARIABLITY
An inherent feature of all biological
observations is their variability e.g. every
individual varies with one another .Similarly
each group of individuals is different from
other groups. For example, the pulse rate,
hemoglobin level, the number of white cells
varies from person to person . Again this
varies from one group to other . e.g. pulse
rate among infants varies from that of old
age group.
 VARIABLE & CONSTANT.

 VARIABLE:
 Any numerical (N) value which varies from one
individual to an other is called variable or
 “is a characteristic or attribute that vary from person to
person, from place to place & from time to time.’
 e.g. Height of students in the class.
 e.g. Wight of School boys.
 Variables are usually represented by last English letter
X, Y, Z.
.
 Other examples: Price of goods
 No of children in family.
 VARIABLE & CONSTANT.
 CONSTANT:
 Any numerical quantity which is fixed
 or
 “constant is any fixed quantity that has a

single value”
 or
 “A quantity which can assume Only One Value

is called constant”
 e.g. = π = 22/7 = (3.14), ‘g’= 9.8 m/second
 VARIABLES
Variables may be Qualitative, Quantitative,
Continuous, Discrete, Dichotomous (Binary) &
Polyotomous.
QUALITATIVE VARIABLE
A characteristic which varies only in quality
from one individual to another individual is
called “qualitative variable” e.g. beauty,
intelligence, severity of disease, color,ABO
blood group, gender.It is also called as
attribute or categorical variable.
 VARIABLES
QUANTITATIVE VARIABLE
Characteristics which can be measured
numerically & varies from one individual to
another individual e.g. height, weight, B.P,
temperature of patients, hemoglobin level,
blood sugar level, mid-arm circumference,
Body mass index(BMI),Serum cholesterol
level.
 VARIABLES
DISCREATE VARIABLE
A variable is called discrete variable if it can
take some selected values in a given interval
‘or’
A variable whose value is taken from some
counting process e.g. no. of patients in a
ward, rooms in a house , trees in a row
 VARIABLES
CONTINUOUS VARIABLE
If the variable takes any value within an interval
that variable is called continuous variable. ‘or’
The variable whose value is taken from some
measuring process e.g. B.P, temperature,
height & weight of patients
 VARIABLES
DICHOTOMOUS(BINARY) VARIABLE
It is variable that has only two possible value.
Examples
Gender
weight more than 80 kg
Obesity
Rh blood group
 VARIABLES
POLYOTOMOUS VARIABLE
It is a variable that has more than two possible
values.
Examples
ABO blood group
Weight
Height
 SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
Nominal scale Metric Scale
Based on NOM(names), Based on
no specific order e.g ME(measurement)
Race/ethnicity, In terms of quantities
Religion, Blood glucose
Sex of child/gender Mid –arm circumference
ABO blood group Hemoglobin level
Country of birth Weight, height,
Type of anemia Blood pressure
Pulse rate

Categorical scales Dimensional scales

 SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
ORDINAL SCALE Metric scale is of 2 types
Based on ORD(order) Interval scale
(absence of absolute 0)
Grading into categories
No ratios are possible
Severity of disease e.g,
Social classes Centigrade/Fahrenheit
Socioeconomic status temperature scale
Ratio scale
(Presence of absolute 0)
Ratios are possible e.g,
weight, height

Categorical scales Dimensional scales

 SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
 Statistically most preferable scale of
measurement is “metric scale”
 Statistically least preferable scale of

measurement is “nominal scale”

 SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
EXERCISE
 Severity of anemia
 Type of anemia
 Hemoglobin level & serum ferritin level
 TYPES OF VARIABLES
 EXERCISE
 Weight
 Height
 B P
 PULSE RATE
 Temperature
 ABO blood group
 Rhesus blood group
 Gender
THANK YOU